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Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners

Out of Control (OOC) was a self-supporting committee formed in 1987 to organize resistance to the Lexington Control Unit for women. Through connections with other grassroots campaigns, churches and civil rights groups, the 10 women of OOC sought to expose the brutality of this federal penitentiary, culminating in a lawsuit and the closure of Lexington. For 10 years of active struggle the group aligned itself with 25 women political prisoners, provided support work for HIV positive prisoners, and battered women convicted of killing their abusers. The group started the Women Political Prisoners Commissary Fund in tandem with LAGAI, and co-hosted an annual Sparks Fly benefit to commemorate International Women Political Prisoners Day on November 2nd. In 1989 they began publication of Out Of Time newsletter which eventually became an insert to Ultra Violet, LAGAI’s newsletter.

The collection covers publications and correspondences from 1987-200, including promotional materials for OOC’s annual Sparks Fly benefit. Many items were scanned on loan and are only available online.


"Out of Control Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political Prisoners." Prison Activist Resource Center, n.d. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. .

Documents

Educational Pamphlet Educational Pamphlet
Publisher: Sparks Fly Committee, Out oF Control - Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political PrisonersFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Educational flyer
Sparks Fly 13 Flier Sparks Fly 13 Flier
Publisher: Sparks Fly 13 Committee; Out of Control; National Lawyers Guild Bay Area ChapterFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer for Sparks Fly 13 2/28
Sparks Fly VII Sparks Fly VII
Publisher: California Coalition for Women Prisoners; Out of Control; Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project; Prarie Fire Organization Committee; National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWs and Political PrisonersFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer for Sparks Fly VII 11/15?. Virtual holdings only.
Sparks Fly V Sparks Fly V
Publisher: Women Against Imperialism; Out of Control; National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWs and PPsFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer for Sparks Fly V 2/11/?. Virtual holdings only.
Program Program
Publisher: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political PrisonersFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Program leaflet with women political prisoners contact information
Letter to "Sisters and Brothers" Letter to "Sisters and Brothers"
Publisher: Out of ControlFormat: CorrespondenceCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Includes handwritten notes
Article - Lexington Appeal Decision and Women Political Prisoners Article - Lexington Appeal Decision and Women Political Prisoners
Author: Susan RosenbergFormat: ArticleCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Includes handwritten notes by Jane Segal
Lexington Control Unit Opens - Shut It Down! Lexington Control Unit Opens - Shut It Down!
Publisher: Committee to Fight RepressionFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Reproduction of flyer with outline of Lexington issues.
Lexington Control Unit--What can I do About it? Lexington Control Unit--What can I do About it?
Publisher: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political Prisoners; Campaign to Abolish the Lexington Women's Control UnitFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer to advertise letter and phone campaign as well as writing to prisoners
There are Women Political Prisoners in the USA; What Is a Political Prisoner; Who is Out of Control? There are Women Political Prisoners in the USA; What Is a Political Prisoner; Who is Out of Control?
Publisher: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political PrisonersFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
General information on definition fo political prisoner and Out of Control